Did the system fail or did Robertson fail?
There’s an article at the NZ Herald on the killing of Blessie Gotingco by Tony Robertson. It asks and answers 10 questions on the case and concludes that the system didn’t fail.
Many killings are preventable. A wrong parole decision, a lack of supervision by Corrections etc. But in this vase the sad reality might be that Robertson was always going to do something like this.
Some of the 10 points the article makes are:
- Robertson was not given parole and served every day of his sentence
- He didn’t get preventive detention at 19 because he didn’t have a long enough history of sexual offending, and the Court of Appeal had overturned a preventive detention sentence in a similar case
- He was constantly monitored by GPS. Once he was telephoned within two minutes of going somewhere he shouldn’t, and arrested within 45 minutes of not responding
- An extended supervision order had been granted to take effect when his six months of release conditions expired
- Probation Service checked up on him 38 times in five months – much more than average
The only good news is that it is likely he now will get preventive detention.